00: The Thief and the Egg
INTRODUCTION
This story is the oldest of the Draco-Myth; a collection of legends and myths handed down from the word of maw, rune and inscription from as far back as the end of the Saurian Era. According to the fossil records, the story of The Thief and the Egg is the legend of Silver Draconian origin. From the Central Hinterlands and the Silver Halls, the story of a reoccurring creature that wore the scales and skins of reptiles, mammals and Dragons alike, haunts the primordial forests and arboreal glades where Life first evolved.
The Hlldraugr (Hull' Drau' Gr) was believed to be an aberrant creature that haunted Draconic graveyards and nurseries though no fossil record of its existence has ever been found by Archaeologists or Diviners, marking it in history by name alone. The story of the Thief and the Egg is a central myth of the Draconians, told to young Wyrmlings to express the beauty and miracle of Life and to suggest the brutal World beyond the relative safety of the Lair. It warns young Wyrmlings not to run off in search of peril, as one of it's protagonists.
Variations of the Draco- Myth have appeared in other cultures in the form of bogeymen and superstitious tales without proof. Though if one mentions the name of this malignant creature to a Dragon, they will have immediately earned its doubt and suspicion.
Summary
In the first of the Draco-Myths, the Silver Dracadian Hunter "Aganthor" (Ag'An'Thor, or Silver- Honored, translated) is silently awaiting his prey, the wild Hert- an ancient elk-like creature whose descendants still inhabit the Darkwood Forests of Silver Halls. During this time, he witnesses the H'lldraugr. The following is an excerpt of that description:
"The creature was bizarre; a shaggy beast with dark grey, snow pelted furs, bound in sagging lengths of crimson. Aganthor smelt beast's blood- the scent smattered about the silhouetted form. It slowly turned its apish head, snarling, chattering, peering with eyes like hazy mirrors reflecting the moons; eyes that seemed to gaze through his concealment beneath the layer of snow. The hunter felt the cold wind between them and then it vanished into the obfuscating shadow of the Darkwood Forest."
Aganthor remains patient but is surprised when his chosen game appears. This is the largest Hert that Aganthor (or perhaps any other Silver Dragon) has ever seen, with antlers large enough to knock down small trees. This time, before Aganthor could claim his prize, a stalking shadow from above drives the prey into the snow, killing it instantly. Aganthor meets a Mercury Dragoness, Hgsaongo (Hig'Sae'On'Go, or Rarity Cold Wing, translated). Hgsaongo left with the Hert and Aganthor pursued her through the hinterlands, North pass his home of Silver Halls, to the ice flows beyond.
Having proclaimed the Hert. Hgsaongo devours her meal at Aganthor's dismay. The Hunter had waited 3 days for the Hert. Now, he had no choice but to suffer near the cruel prankster, who ate and belched and sang over his potential meal. Between the light of the moons, the Northern Aura, and a small, warm fire set upon the Hert's bones between them, the Dragons slept through the night. Upon awakening, Aganthor finds Hgsaongo (and the remains of the Hert) absconded. Aganthor wanted the Hert's skull as a prize; to return to Silver Halls with his game.
This story, among others, relates the earliest altercations between the two groups of Dragons: the Noble Dracadian and the Chromatic Draconian. Their species eventually began seperating at the end of the Saurian Era at the same time that language (the runic Druuns) were utilized. White Dragons held the most territories in the Northern regions before the Continental Divide and are fiercely known as the largest and beastial of all the Dragons. As the sturdiest and most adapted to surviving the harsh frost of the Hinterlands, the White Draconians were the most dominant species of the cold Northern lands.
As such, they had frequent skirmishes with the Dracadians. Hgsaongo had been taken by the White Dragon, Asabsanc (Az'Ab'Zanc, or Harsh Scales, translated) a Warlord of the Era. Though Aganthor bested the Draconians in a Trial by Combat, by the rites of their respective Clan Laws, Aganthor defeated the White Dragon and his clutch. Yet Hgsaongo remained missing, the only clue to her whereabouts were Azabsanc's departing message to Aganthor:
"Escaped. Down. Hinterlands. Fled by Star. Hlldraugr rend her scale; gnaw bone. Return her to the Aether."
By day, she had escaped the clutches of the somnambulant Warlord and fled into an icy forest. Aganthor followed, but what he had found instead was the Hlldraugr. The following is an excerpt from that encounter:
"A sudden snapping in the shadowy stillness broke the hunter’s meditations. In one long draw, he inhaled; an animal musk and vaporous transmission lingered near the shaggy form. It was the Hlldraugr, bearing into the Hunter's spirit with pale eyes like moons, from beneath the pelt of the dead Hert. With a black claw, it pointed towards the tree. Aganthor never took his prescient eyes from the creature and yet, it leapt away like the Hert, and Aganthor never again saw the Hlldraugr. Aganthor peered into the clearing where he found no trace of beloved Hgsaongo. Instead, he found an Egg of an irridescent luster."
Aganthor was left alone, never to see Hgsaongo again. Aganthor preserved the Egg. Aganthor went on to raise his daughter, whom he named after her mother, Yig' Saon, but that is yet another Draco-Myth. Her story would later go on to inspire many Dracadians and Draconians alike, leading them out of an age of darkness.
Historical Basis
This Draco-Myth confirms much about the World of Pathon: there were 2 Moons, the continents were divided as the Dragons adapted to different environments, and there was a common language beginning to form between them.
Though it is unknown whether the basis of this legend were true, there are 3 things that we can conclude from this Draco-Myth:
* The Dracadians and the Draconians have fought with each other for prey and territory since the beginning of the Draconian Era. This story sparked much debate and conflict between the Dragons of the Era.
* Belief of this Draco-Myth led to the worship of the Draconic Moon Goddess of the Hunt, Night, and the Moon, Yig' Saon.
* "Hlldraugr" is referenced in 3 separate occasions within the Draco-Myth; once, when Aganthor first encounters it. Secondly, when Asabsanc
Spread
This story from the Draco-Myth became the first Legend of the Dragoness, Yig' Saon (Yig'Sa'oon, or Rarity Moon Child, translated). Her legend continues throughout the record within different passages. These collection of stories led many to believe in the Divine ascension of the last of the Mercury Dragons as the species inevitably went extinct. Their fossils are left unbound to Necromancy, Metamancy and all other forms of Divination.
It is as if the species never existed. Beyond the relics and archaeological records of the Ancient Eras, no trace exists of the Mercury Dragons.
Diviners of the Goddess even remark that Yig' Saon never met her mother, Hgsaongo. After her birth, the Mercury Dragons vanished, as no other mention exists beyond rumors and suspicious myths.
Variations & Mutation
Draconian variations of the legend portrays the Hunter Aganthor as a coward and a weakling, using guile and clever tactics unbefitting the arena of Trial by Combat.
In this legend, Asabsanc pursued the wounded Aganthor through the forests until he was the one to encounter the Hlldraugr. Asabsanc found the Egg but it was stolen by Aganthor. These legends were dated after the original's, but it no less became a story passed between the Draconians.
The Draconian version also claims Hgsaongo as the mother and Asabsanc as the father of Yig' Saon. When Yig' Saon is asked about this, she tells Diviners that she didn't know her father- only that his wings were white and bore the cold snow in times of peril.
Cultural Reception
Draconians didn't appreciate the portrayal of Asabsanc as an oaf. As such, when they retold the legend, Aganthor was an idiot who had stolen the Hert to begin with. They were the first to create exaggerated forms through the entertaining art of "Daobuki Theater" which are still iconic in media today. These cherished pop figures are no longer seen as racial characerizations, rather as colorful representations of the Dragons they mimic. Many ground- breaking works of later Eras helped to popularize this.
While Daobuki adapted from this play, The Thief & the Egg is the first recorded play performed before any audience.
In Literature
The Dracadian versions of the Draco-Myth are the most well- written accounts of the events of those Eras. They were learning quickly, which kept them ahead of the Draconian counterparts for quite some time. One may note the language differences between the two accounts of the Draco-Myth as cultural representations of the other.
In Art
When theater and drama became alluring as acceptable social events for Dragons, the actors often portrayed their rivals in comedic fashions (large, exaggerated and blank expressions; gauche wardrobes and feathers, rounded horns). Each clan and culture had a representation such as this which became popular as Daobuki Theater.
In the first play of The Thief and the Egg, all characters were said to be portrayed favorably, but due to cultural aggressions at the time, Absansc became a major villain of the plot. Regardless, the story is wonderfully expressed through rich art forms, continuing to inspire many.
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